The transformation of Islamic Religious Education cannot be carried out by a single institution alone. It requires a space for collaboration that brings together ideas, experiences, and best practices from various universities to produce innovations capable of addressing the educational challenges of the global era.

This commitment was realized by UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta through the leadership of its Professor, Prof. Dr. Eva Latipah, in organizing the National Congress (MUNAS) of the Association of Indonesian Islamic Religious Education Study Programs (PPPAII) together with the Annual International Conference on Islamic Religious Education (AICIRE) 2026, held at the Premiere Grand Tjokro Bandung from July 14–16, 2026.

The forum served as a strategic space bringing together academics, researchers, and administrators of Islamic Religious Education study programs from universities across Indonesia and abroad, aimed at strengthening the direction of Islamic Religious Education development so that it remains adaptive to social change, technological advancement, and global dynamics.

This direction was underscored in the keynote speech delivered by the Director of Islamic Religious Higher Education at Indonesia's Ministry of Religious Affairs, Prof. Dr. Phil. Sahiron, who outlined strategic policies for the transformation of Islamic religious universities as a foundation for improving the quality of Islamic Religious Education in Indonesia.

This perspective was further enriched by academics from several countries, namely Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ali of the University of California, United States; Prof. Dr. Imam Mohammad Dawod of Suez Canal University, Egypt; Dr. Yusri bin Mohamad Ramli of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia; and Prof. Dr. Udin Supriadi, M.Pd. of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia.

The gathering opened up opportunities for joint research development, international scholarly publication, lecturer and student exchange, curriculum development, joint conferences, and network strengthening.

The wide range of perspectives shared also broadened the discourse on the governance of Islamic Religious Education, quality assurance, outcome-based curriculum development, transformative learning, character and spiritual education, integration of knowledge, the use of artificial intelligence, and the strengthening of research networks and internationalization.

This network-strengthening continued through parallel sessions featuring research findings from academics across various regions of Indonesia, from Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi to Nusa Tenggara and Papua. The diversity of research contexts presented highlighted both the challenges and good practices of Islamic Religious Education across different regions, while also opening the way for cross-university research consortia, collaborative publications, exchange of good practices, and the development of comparative studies more responsive to the needs of society.

For UIN Sunan Kalijaga, the forum expanded its academic collaboration network while also strengthening the university's recognition as a key reference point in developing Islamic Religious Education based on the integration-interconnection paradigm. The network built serves as important capital for strengthening internationalization, improving research quality, and expanding UIN Sunan Kalijaga's scholarly contribution to the development of Islamic Religious Education at both the national and global levels.

The series of forum activities also included an academic visit to the National Education Laboratory of Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, as part of strengthening the ecosystem of inter-institutional collaboration. This activity opened up an exchange of good practices concerning the development of learning technology, education laboratories, and academic innovation. For UIN Sunan Kalijaga, the experience enriched its reference points for developing Islamic Religious Education instruction while also expanding opportunities for collaboration in improving the quality of higher education.

Prof. Eva Latipah's position as Chair of PPPAII, alongside her role as Director of the Center for Integrative and Transformative Studies (CIINTRA), further strengthens UIN Sunan Kalijaga's role as a connector among various stakeholders in driving an integrative and transformative development of Islamic Religious Education.

Through this forum, UIN Sunan Kalijaga demonstrates that academic leadership is realized not only through the development of knowledge within the campus, but also through the ability to build networks, orchestrate collaboration, and create spaces for the exchange of ideas that produce real impact for improving the quality of Islamic Religious Education. This role further affirms UIN Sunan Kalijaga's position as one of the strategic hubs in driving an innovative, collaborative, and globally competitive transformation of Islamic education.(humassk)